Industry body reports spike in fuel theft, drive-off, verbal abuse towards forecourt staff

Cases of fuel thefts from filling stations have shot up by nearly two-thirds this year to record levels, an industry body has said today (30) as petrol prices touch a new high in the country.

According to Petrol Retailers Association, drive-off incidents, where a motorist fills up and makes no attempt to pay before leaving, have increased by 61 percent so far this year compared with the same period in 2021.

Gordon Balmer, the PRA executive director, said the number of thefts were “going through the roof”, with 10 incidents a day being reported. He also predicted retailers would lose £25 million if the current rate of drive-offs continued for the next 12 months.

Incidents of drivers saying they were unable to pay for fuel they had already put in their vehicle, such as by forgetting their wallet, reportedly have also increased, reaching an annual cost to the sector of £16m.

“You’re looking at nearly £41m in terms of cost to industry of fuel either being stolen through drive-offs or people haven’t got the means to pay,” The Guardian quoted Balmer as saying. “It’s a really difficult issue at the moment, and on the increase.”

Commenting on the police support on the matter, Balmer pointed out that many police forces have said that it is not a criminal offence, “it’s a civil offence, so you need to deal with it”. The police also state that “if the actual value of the crime is below £100 then we won’t send anyone out to police it,” Balmer said, who revealed to have raised the matter with the Home Office.

Operators are also reporting a “huge increase” in verbal abuse towards forecourt staff by drivers angry at pump prices.

Average price of a litre of petrol at UK forecourts reached a new high of 191.2p on Tuesday (28) while the average price of diesel was 199p a litre.